学年度第一学期期末考试学术英语阅读.docx
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学年度第一学期期末考试学术英语阅读.docx
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学年度第一学期期末考试学术英语阅读
2017—2018学年度第一学期期末考试学术英语阅读
院/系_________________姓名_________________班级_________________学号_________________
Direction
Readthefollowingpassage.Whileyou’rereading,pleasepayspecialattentiontotheunderlinedorshadedwords,phrasesandsentences.You’llbeaskedtoexplaintheminEnglishlaterafterreading.
ThePriceofPreference
ShelbySteele
51015202530
Inafewshortyears,manyblacksandaconsiderablenumberofwhiteswouldsaythatIwassanctimoniously(圣洁地)makingaffirmativeaction①intoatestofcharacter.Theywouldsaythatthissmallpreferenceisthemeagerestrecompenseforcenturiesofunrelievedoppression.Andtotheseargumentsotherveryobviousfactsmustbeadded.InAmerica,manymarginallycompetentorflatlyincompetentwhitesarehiredeveryday—somebecausetheirwhiteskinsuitstheconsciousorunconsciousracialpreferenceoftheiremployers.Thewhitechildrenofalumniareoftengrandfatheredintoeliteuniversitiesinwhatcanonlybeseenasaresidualbenefitofhistoricwhiteprivilege.Worse,whiteincompetenceisalwaysanindividualmatter,butforblacksitisoftenconfirmationofuglystereotypes.Giventhatunfairnesscutsbothways,doesn’titonlybalancethescalesofhistory,doesn’tthisrepay,inasmallway,thesystematicdenialunderwhichmychildren’sgrandfatherlivedouthisdays?
Intheory,affirmativeactioncertainlyhasallthemoralsymmetrythatfairnessrequires—theinjusticeofhistoricalandevencontemporarywhiteadvantageisoffset(补偿)withblackadvantage;preferencereplacesprejudice,inclusion
(1)answersexclusion.Itisreformistandcorrective,evenrepentantandredemptive(忏悔与救赎的).AndIwouldneversneeratthesegoodintentions.BorninthelatefortiesinChicago,Istartedmyeducation(acharitableterminthiscase)inasegregated(种族隔离的)schoolandsufferedalltheindignitiesthatcometoblacksinasegregatedsociety.Myfather,bornintheSouth,madeitonlytothethirdgradebeforethewhiteman’sfieldstookpermanentpriority(永久性优先)overhisformaleducation.Andthoughheeducatedhimselfintoanadvancedreaderwithanalmostprofessorialauthority,hecouldonlydriveatruckforaliving,andneverearnedmorethan$90aweekinhisentirelife.Soyes,itiscrucialtomysenseofcitizenship,tomyabilitytoidentifywiththespiritandtheinterestsofAmerica,toknowthatthiscountry,howeverimperfectly,recognizesitspastsinsandwishestocorrectthem.
Yetgoodintentionscanblindustotheeffectstheygeneratewhenimplemented.Inoursocietyaffirmativeactionis,amongotherthings,a
(2)testamenttowhitegoodwillandtoblackpower,andinthemidstoftheseheavyinvestmentsitseffectscanbehardtosee.ButaftertwentyyearsofimplementationIthinkthataffirmativeactionhasshownitselftobemorebadthangoodandthatblacks—whomIwillfocusoninthisessay—nowstandtolosemorefromitthantheygain.
Intalkingwithaffirmativeactionadministratorsandwithblacksandwhitesingeneral,Ifoundthatsupportersofaffirmativeactionfocusonitsgoodintentionswhiledetractors(反对者)emphasizeitsnegativeeffects.Proponentstalkabout“diversity”and“pluralism”;opponentsspeakof(3)“reversediscrimination”,theunfairnessofquotas(指标)andset-asides(保留名额).[1]Itwasvirtuallyimpossibletofindpeopleoutsideeithercamp.TheclosestIcamewasawhitemalemanageratalargecomputer
①Affirmativeactionisthepolicyoffavoringmembersofadisadvantagedgroupwhosufferorhavesufferedfromdiscriminationwithinaculture.平权运动,扶持政策
354045505560657075companywhosaid,“Ithinkitamountstoreversediscrimination,butI’llputupwithalittleofthatforalittlemorediversity.”I’lllivewithalittleoftheeffecttogainalittleoftheintention,heseemedtobesaying.Butthisonlymakeshimahalfheartedsupporterofaffirmativeaction.Ithinkmanypeoplewhodon’treallylikeaffirmativeactionsupportittoonedegreeoranotheranyway.
IbelievetheydothisbecauseofwhathappenedtowhiteandblackAmericansinthecrucible(坩埚)ofthesixties,whenwhiteswereconfrontedwiththeirracialguiltandblackstastedtheirfirstrealpower.Inthatstormytimewhiteabsolutionandblackpowercoalescedintovirtualmandates(命令)forsociety.Affirmativeactionbecameameetinggroundforthosemandatesinthelaw,andinthelatesixtiesandearlyseventiesitunderwentaremarkableescalationofitsmissionfromsimpleanti-discriminationenforcementto(4)socialengineeringbymeansofquotas,goals,timetables,set-asidesandotherformsofpreferentialtreatment.
Legally,thiswasachievedthroughaseriesofexecutiveordersandEEOC②guidelinesthatallowedracialimbalancesintheworkplacetostandasproofofracialdiscrimination.Onceitcouldbeassumedthatdiscriminationexplainedracialimbalances,[2]itbecameeasytojustifygroupremediestopresumeddiscriminationratherthanthenormalcase-by-caseredressforprovendiscrimination.Preferentialtreatmentthroughquotas,goals,andsoonisdesignedtocorrectimbalancesbasedontheassumptionthattheyalwaysindicatediscrimination.Thisexpansionofwhatconstitutesdiscriminationallowedaffirmativeactiontoescalateintothebusinessofsocialengineeringinthenameofanti-discrimination,topushsocietytowardstatisticallyproportionateracialrepresentation,withoutanyobligationofprovingactualdiscrimination.
Whataccountedforthisshift,Ibelieve,wasthewhitemandatetoachieveanewracialinnocenceandtheblackmandatetogainpower.Eventhoughblackshadmadegreatadvancesduringthesixtieswithoutquotas,thesemandates,which(5)cametoaheadintheverylatesixties,couldnolongerbesatisfiedbyanythinglessthanracialpreferences.Idon’tthinkthesemandatesinthemselveswerewrong,becausewhitesclearlyneededtodobetterbyblacksandblacksneededmorerealpowerinsociety.But,astheycametogetherinaffirmativeaction,theireffectwastodistort(变形)ourunderstandingofracialdiscriminationinawaythatallowedustooffertheremediationofpreferenceonthebasisofmerecolorratherthanactualinjury.[3]Bymakingblackthecolorofpreference,thesemandateshavereburdenedsocietywiththeverymarriageofcolorandpreference(inreverse)thatwesetouttoeradicate.Theoldsinisreaffirmedinanewguise.
Buttheessentialproblemswiththisformofaffirmativeactionisthewayitleapsoverthehardbusinessofdevelopingaformerlyoppressedpeopletothepointwheretheycanachieveproportionaterepresentationontheirown(givenequalopportunity)andgoesstraightfortheproportionaterepresentation,thismaysatisfysomewhitesoftheirinnocenceandsomeblacksoftheirpower,butitdoesverylittletotrulyupliftblacks.
AwhitefemaleaffirmativeactionofficeratanIvyLeagueuniversitytoldmewhatmanysupportersofaffirmativeactionnowsay:
“We’reafterdiversity.Weideallywantastudentbodywhereracialandethnicgroupsarerepresentedaccordingtotheirproportioninsociety.”Whenaffirmativeactionescalatedintosocialengineering,diversitybecameagoldenword.Itgrantswhitesanegalitarianfairness(innocence)andblacksanentitlementtoproportionaterepresentation(power).Diversityisatermthatappliesdemocraticprinciplestoracesandculturesratherthantocitizens,despitethefactthatthereisnothingtoindicatethatrealdiversityisthesamethingasproportionaterepresentation.Toooftentheresultofthis,oncampuses(forexample)hasbeenademocracyofcolorsratherthanofpeople,anartificialdiversitythatgivestheappearanceofaneducationalparitybetweenblackandwhitestudentsthathasnotyetbeenachievedinreality.Hereagain,racialpreferencesallowsocietytoleapfrogoverthedifficultproblemofdevelopingblackstoparitywithwhitesandintoacosmeticdiversitythat(6)coverstheblemishofdisparity—afullsixyearsafteradmission,only26percentofblacksgraduatefromcollege.
②EqualEmploymentOpportunityCommission均等就业机会委员会
80859095100105110115120125
Racialrepresentationisnotthesamethingasracialdevelopment,yetaffirmativeactionfostersaconfusionoftheseverydifferentneeds.Representationcanbemanufactured;developmentisalwayshard-earned.[4]However,itisthemusicofinnocenceandpowerthatwehearinaffirmativeactionthatcausesustoclingtoitandtoitsdistractingemphasisonrepresentation.Thefactisthataftertwentyyearsofracialpreferencesthegapbetweenwhiteandblackmedianincomeisgreaterthanitwasintheseventies.Noneofthisistosaythatblacksdon’tneedpoliciesthatinsureourrighttoequalopportunity,butwhatweneedmoreofisthedevelopmentthatwillletustakeadvantageofsociety’seffortstoincludeus.
Ithinkoneofthemosttroublingeffectsofracialpreferencesforblacksisakindofdemoralization,orputanotherway,anenlargementofself-doubt.Underaffirmativeaction,thequalitythatearnsuspreferentialtreatmentisanimpliedinferiority.Howeverthisinferiorityisexplained—anditiseasilyenoughexplainedbythemyriaddeprivationsthatgrewoutofouroppression—itisstillinferiority.Thereareexplanations,andthenthereisthefact.Andthefactmustbebornebytheindividualasaconditionapartfromtheexplanation,apartevenfromthefactthatotherslikehimselfalsobearthiscondition.Inintegratedsituationsinwhichblacksmustcompetewithwhiteswhomaybebetterprepared,theseexplanationsmayquickly(7)wearthinandexposetheindividualtoracialaswellaspersonalself-doubt.Allofthisiscompoundedbytheculturalmythofblackinferiorit
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